After closing the TOUR Championship (T7) with a birdie, Keegan Bradley has now shifted his focus to the final showdown set to take place at Bethpage Black, New York. After months of speculation around his captain’s pick for the US Ryder Cup team—and his own dilemma of whether he might play — Captain America has finally set the stage for the biennial tournament’s format. In his own words, “It’s going to be pretty wild.”

Taking to X, the official Ryder Cup account confirmed the two-day format starting September 26. Friday and Saturday will open with foursomes before shifting to four-ball, with the singles matches wrapping things up on Sunday.

Moreover, the format of the event is decided by the host team; hence, in this case, Bradley was the one to lay out this particular set. This decision by Captain Bradley continues a recent trend that has shaped the Ryder Cup’s early session. By opting for foursomes to set the tone, he’s leaning into a format that historically gives the Americans a sense of control. The approach isn’t new — Team USA has opened with this setup in five consecutive Ryder Cups – but it carries extra weight given the momentum swings that often define the event.

Additionally, this will be the 13th time since 1981 that the format has been used.

The numbers tell a clear story: When the Americans start with an alternate shot, they usually punch above their weight, boasting a 12-4 record in those sessions. The home crowd at Whistling Straits in 2021 fueled that dominance, with the US side cruising to a 6-2 advantage in foursomes. Europe, however, flipped the script last year at Marco Simone, producing a near-perfect 7-1 mark in the same format. In short, foursomes can be a launchpad for either a victory or a loss.

That’s why Keegan Bradley views the opening sessions as more than just tradition. History gives him reason to believe – when the US has led off with foursomes over the first two days, they’ve gone 9-3-1 overall in Ryder Cups. Starting strong doesn’t guarantee the Cup, but it does tilt the odds heavily in America’s favor.

However, foursomes come with their own baggage. One long-running myth in Ryder Cup foursomes is that captains should try to pair players who use the same golf club. The logic seems obvious – if both are comfortable with the feel and flight, fewer adjustments are needed. But the numbers tell a different story. Over the last three Ryder Cups, pairing using the same ball has actually fared worse than those mixing and matching. In 2021, for example, duos sharing the same ball went just 1-5, while mismatched pairings like Patrick Cantlay (Titleist) and Xander Schauffele (Callaway) rolled through both of their alternate-shot matches.

The stakes will only climb as captains’ picks round out the rosters later this week. Both squads already have their qualifiers locked in for Bethpage. For US, the following players have qualified – Scottie Scheffler, JJ Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English, and Bryson DeChambeau. On the other hand, Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton, and Rasmus Hojgaard are the automatic qualifiers for the European team captained by Luke Donald.

Fans debate Keegan Bradley’s decision

Although Keegan Bradley may have made this call with his team’s best interests in mind, the move hasn’t been universally welcomed and has stirred debate on social media. Let us look at some of the comments.

One fan pointed back to 2008, when Paul Azinger flipped the script at Valhalla. “Interesting thought exercise: The U.S. is traditionally better at Foursomes, so why not have those goes second to create momentum for the next day? Azinger did that in 2008 and it worked masterfully.” The point here is simple: by saving your strength for the afternoon, you can ride a wave of momentum into Saturday instead of risking an early stumble. The US eventually won with 16½ to 11½, ending Europe’s streak of three consecutive wins. Azinger’s gamble paid off then, so the commenter wonders why Bradley didn’t borrow from that same playbook.

Another response highlighted the painful lessons of Rome in 2023. “The home team has dominated in foursomes in recent Ryder Cups but US famously only won a single of 8 points available in alt shot in Rome. thought potentially they would want to get off to a hotter start with fourball, which they have faired much better with.” Yes, history says the home side usually thrives in foursomes, but the US collapsed in that format last time. Given their stronger recent record in four-ball, some expected Bradley to use that to open the week instead.

Interestingly, the 2025 format strategy has been used by America 8 times now, while Europe has done it five times. This makes this format one of the popular if not the popular one for the Ryder Cup, in the current state of the game.

Regardless, not everyone was critical, though. One fan backed the decision, calling it logical and in line with what both teams likely prepared for. “This makes sense. The home team typically thrives in foursomes. Keegan said yesterday he knew the order but wanted it to come from the PGA. Both sides clearly been planning for it this way.” It is understood that, keeping in mind the record of the home team winning in foursomes, both captains would have prepared their team accordingly.

Another user joked, “Alt shot in the morning, so Keegan Bradley can see the boys off. Then best ball in the aft, so he can just worry about his own golf ball.” Of course, captains don’t actually play, but the joke lands because Bradley is known for his intensity on the course. Remember the viral “we’re gonna kick their f-king ass” speech from Netflix’s full swing?

Now, if this format will help the US Team win, that remains to be seen. What’s certain is that Bradley’s gamble has everyone talking. If it pays off, he’ll look like a visionary—if not, the criticism will be brutal.